i will describe my state (california) since the US is too large to describe in whole
WE ARE NOT A GIANT BEACH! we do not live on the coast and we do not live with an hour, 2 hours, or even 3 hours away from the coast. california (or cali for the douche-bags), from west to east, goes generally like this geographically: coast, valley/ desert, mountains, more desert. it is generally hot durring the winter and, depending on where you live, it is cool durring the winter with a good ammount of rain and plenty of snow in the mountains.
most californians are nice and well mannered (except for certain city dwellers). we value our freedoms as long as that freedom doesnt endanger others. a good portion of the populace either smokes or tolerated marijuana. most tend to try and be "politically correct" in most aspect of life and try not to offend anyone. most of california consists of big cities surrounded by towns which are then surrounded by small communities.
california is a great place if you like to surf, meet new and interesting people (go to santa cruz for really interesting people), skii, snowboard, enjoy fresh food and drinks, party, relax, be entertained, entertain others, and pretty much everything in-between. california is bigger than some countries and offers a wide array of things to do since geographically and socially we are an extremely varied group of people. you will be hard pressed to find a wider range of different people in any other state in the US. enjoy yourself and have fun, thats what everybody else is doing